The effects of supplemental dietary cholesterol and exercise on blood cholesterol and atherosclerosis in the goat.

Abstract The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of supplemental dietary cholesterol and treadmill exercise on blood plasma cholesterol and development of atherosclerosis in young goats. Eighteen two-week-old goats, assigned to four groups for 22 weeks, were fed 100 g whole milk and, after 14 weeks, 50 g corn and cob meal daily/kg body weight. The four groups received, respectively, 250, 175, 100 and 25 mg cholesterol/kg body weight daily in the milk. From week 10 to week 22 of the experiment half of the goats in each group were exercised on a motorized treadmill at a rate of 6.4 km/h for 15 min daily, five days per week. Addition of cholesterol to the diet increased the mean plasma cholesterol in each of the four groups, but between-group comparisons were statistically significant for only the 250-mg group versus the 25mg group. Exercise had no effect on plasma cholesterol. Analysis of serial blood samples of 16 of the goats during one day of the experiment indicated no significant diurnal variations. Six males, three exercised and three nonexercised, were sacrificed; all had extensive aortic sudanophilia. Histological preparations from sudanophilic areas of all aortas showed areas of intimal thickening composed of foam cells. These same areas stained strongly for lipid with Oil Red 0. No histological evidence of calcium deposition or fibrous plaques was found.